The Time Before
by StarSplit144
Summary: The original SG1 were stuck in Ancient Egypt for a while before they got killed. What happened in that time? SamJack
1. Chapter 1

Summary: The original SG1 were stuck in Ancient Egypt for a while before they got killed. What happened in that time? SamJack

Spoilers: Moebius parts 1 and 2, Threads, and general spoilers at any point before.

Disclaimer: Not mine, you know the drill.

Note: Stuff in italics is flashbacks.

**The Time Before**

Jack looked out of the tent into the darkening camp in Ancient Egypt. He knew from experience that once the sun had completely set, the temperature would drop rapidly. He sighed. Out of the four of them, Daniel was the only one who seemed to accept the fact that they might be spending the rest of their lives pretending to be Ancient Egyptians. He supposed it might have something to living on Abydos for two years. Carter kept saying that she was fine, and since she actually understood the reasons that they had to stay, she was probably better off than him and Teal'c, but he could tell that she was starting to go crazy without her technical doohickeys to play with. Neither he nor Teal'c had any interest in ancient cultures, or any understanding of why they couldn't just blow all of the jaffa guarding the ship to hell. The only reason they hadn't done anything was that they both trusted her to be right about the consequences of doing something.

Teal'c and Daniel were behind him, apparently engrossed in some form of that Jackals and Hounds game that they had rigged up a few nights ago. Jack looked outside again at the solitary figure sitting at their fire. The light of the fire reflected off her short blond hair, making it seem to glow. He had been meaning to talk to her for almost a week; ever since that day she'd told them that, for better or for worse, they were staying.

The team holiday at his cabin had been nice. They'd had a chance to talk, but he had known she was having a hard time saying 'to hell with regs' so they hadn't done anything else. Though admittedly, it had been wonderful to be able to talk without all the awkwardness that had been plaguing them since Pete had come along.

Pete. He couldn't believe she had been willing to give up on what Pete was offering her for the possibility that she could be with him. And the much more likely possibility of a court-martial. He had been ready to take the chance the second she said the word, no matter Jacob's words before his death.

"_Jack, before I die, I need to know that my Sammie will be happy." Jacob stared at him intensely and Jack realized that he knew everything. "I'm not blind, Jack. Promise me."_

He knew that he had no intention of breaking that promise.

"Carter?"

"Sir, hi." He winced imperceptibly. She couldn't know how much he had come to hate that word over the past few years. Or maybe she did.

"Sam, can we drop the 'sir'?"

"All right." He smiled as he lowered himself to the ground next to her. They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes. He glanced over at her in time to see her shiver slightly.

"Cold?" he asked, knowing exactly what her answer would be.

"I'm fine."

"Of course you are," he said, placing his arm around her shoulders. She stiffened slightly, and then relaxed, leaning into him. He savoured the feeling of holding her in his arms, something that hadn't happened often enough as far as he was concerned. He looked down at her, and brushed a wisp of hair off her forehead.

"We're stuck here, aren't we?" she was silent a moment before she answered.

"Probably. I doubt Ra will ever leave the ship unguarded, even if he can't do anything with it."

"But there is the possibility?"

"I suppose."

"All right then. I resign." She shifted her head slightly to look at him.

"Why?" They both knew that she knew the answer, but she wanted to hear it.

"Because I love you, Samantha Carter. And because I've been waiting to do this for way too long." Jack leaned in, closing the centimeters between them. He gently touched his lips to hers, and felt her respond as he drew her closer to his body.

"Teal'c, it's your turn." Teal'c turned, and motioned for Daniel to come over, and be quiet. Mystified, he walked over to where his friend was standing just inside the flaps of the tent the four of them were sharing. Teal'c gestured for him to look outside. He lifted the tent flap slightly to peer at the two figures by their campfire, and smiled.

"Well, finally."

Comments make me happy. Please make me happy.


	2. Chapter 2

Jack looked across the small cell to where Teal'c sat against the opposite wall, and then down at his wife, almost four months pregnant. Sam snuggled a bit closer to him, and he held her protectively, wishing that he could have convince her to stay behind with Daniel, but knowing that there was no way he could have.

"_Sam, you're pregnant for crying out loud! I don't want you to get hurt"_

"_I'm coming," she repeated stubbornly._

"_Please don't make me make it an order," he begged._

"_You can't Jack. You resigned. You won't stay behind, and I won't either."_

And that had been the end of it. He couldn't argue with her.

"There was nothing you could have done to make me stay, Jack. How do you think I would have felt if you and Teal'c had died tomorrow, and I was still alive. Was I supposed to raise the baby alone in Ancient Egypt?"

"Daniel would have helped," he muttered.

"Yes. He would have. And he would have been good at it, but he wouldn't be the father. He wouldn't be you. I couldn't live the rest of my life in a place where all my knowledge and skills are useless, and the person that I love is dead. I love you, Jack, and I don't want to live without you." There was nothing he could say to that, so he just hugged her closer to him.

"I know," he said quietly. "At least we've had these past months. At least we had some time. No regrets, right?" She tilted her head up, and kissed him deeply, remembering the many nights since that first one, the nights spent with their bodies entwined as one. When they finally broke apart, she looked up at him and smiled sadly.

"None whatsoever." She took his hand in her own, and he rubbed it softly, feeling the callused fingers that were as familiar to him as his own. He placed their hands on her stomach.

"What do you think we should call it?"

"I was thinking Grace, if she's a girl."

"Prometheus?" he asked, smiling. She had told him all of what had happened during her four day stint on the Prometheus, just as he had finally told her what had happened during the time loops.

"I think that's who she was. Some of the things she said…like when I was trying to explain surface tension to her, her 'boring' was just so characteristic of you. And yet in other ways, she reminded me of myself as a child. She was beautiful, Jack."

"Of course she was. She was related to you." He brushed back her blond hair, dusty from lack of wash water, and kissed the top of her head.

"What do you think?" she asked.

"I think Grace is wonderful. We could name him Harry if he's a boy," he suggested, trying to lighten the mood. He could feel her smile of appreciation at the effort.

"I'm sure Maybourne would be thrilled."

"Actually, he'd probably think I'd finally lost it." She laughed softly, and he returned to being serious. "Actually, I was thinking of Skaara." She smiled.

"Grace and Skaara."

They fell into an easy silence, each of them just appreciating the presence of the other. Both lost in their memories.

Jack thought back to their wedding. The only guest had been Teal'c, and Daniel had officiated. The young man would never cease to amazed Jack with his knowledge of the most obscure things. Daniel. The poor guy would be alone now, though from the standpoint of their future selves, he was the best one to be left alive. Daniel was the least likely to drastically affect the future. His thoughts returned to Sam. If she had stayed…he stopped himself. If she had stayed, she would have been miserable for the rest of her natural life. As he'd said earlier, at least they'd had the last few months. Much as he hated Ancient Egypt, he had to say that she had made the time the best of his life.

He looked across the cell at Teal'c, and felt sorry for him. He was a warrior, and hadn't been able to stand the constant hiding. He was the one who had suggested that they could maybe kick-start the rebellion, though Jack had been quick to agree, and even Sam hadn't taken much convincing in the end. Unlike Daniel, it was in none of their personalities to be able to stay hidden for too long. And look where it had gotten them.

Jack sighed, and felt Sam shift slightly against him. He looked down on her sleeping face. There were huge shadows under her eyes, and her face was covered in dust and grit, but she was still the most beautiful person he had ever seen. The look of complete trust and innocence on her sleeping face would have made him fall in love with her all over again if he hadn't already loved her with every fibre of his being. As sat there, gazing down at her, he felt his own eyes start to close. He fought the sleep, but in the end it claimed him too.

Teal'c looked across the cell at two of those who he had come to think of as his family. He was happy for them in that they had the opportunity to say goodbye. He regretted that he would die without being able to see Ry'ac one last time, and without saying goodbye to Bra'tac. But he had the satisfaction to know that, in his lifetime, he had helped to defeat the Goa'uld, and to see the Jaffa free. Aver all, he would die free.

Jack awoke to the sound of the cell door opening, and felt Sam wake up next to him. He squeezed the hand that he still held, and got up before the Jaffa could force him up, pulling Sam with him. Teal'c joined them, and they were escorted from the cell. Jack glanced at the guards hopefully, but Ra obviously wasn't taking any chances. There were way too many guards for the three of them to have any chance of escape. He sighed, and turned to Teal'c.

"T, it was an honour to fight with you."

"With you also, O'Neill," he said with a grave nod. Sam looked at a loss for words for a moment, then simply walked up to him and hugged him. He enclosed his massive arms around her until she pulled back.

"I'm glad I had the opportunity to know you Teal'c."

"You are a very skilled warrior, Colonel Carter. I am proud to have fought by your side." Jack smiled at Teal'c gratefully. He knew that what Teal'c had said was the greatest praise he could have given Sam.

"Jaffa, kree!" came a voice, and the Jaffa who had been guarding them began to lead them out to stand on a tall platform overlooking the thousands of Ancient Egyptians standing and waiting in complete silence. The three of them were lined up to face the crowd and made to kneel. Jack's gaze was locked onto Sam's, the two of them unwilling to lose a second of the time they had left. Teal'c simply kept his head high, refusing to submit to the false god, Ra.

Ra began to make some speech about the traitor slaves, but Jack didn't hear a word of it, focusing instead on the silent communication that would be his last with Sam. From the years of speaking, the years of feeling without the possibility of words, it was easy to read the raw emotion in her eyes, and he knew that his feelings were just as easy to read. He heard three staff weapons activate, and held her gaze unflinchingly. He heard the staff weapons fire, and saw a second of intense pain cross her beautiful face before his sensed left him, and he fell to the ground.

Daniel watched in horror as his three best friends, his family, were led onto the platform. He saw the way that Sam and Jack's eyes never left each other's and how Teal'c refused to submit, even in his last moments. He didn't hear a word of Ra's speech, but instead concentrated on drinking in his last view of his team. He wished that Sam and Jack had had more time together; more time to explore the relationship they had finally let out in the open. But it was not to be. The staff weapons fired, and his three friends crumpled to the ground. And Daniel was alone.

**Fin**

So that is the end. Just push that little button before you go.


End file.
